Why Manayunk’s Fat Lady Brewing Should be Your Newest Go-To Spot

Recently, Andrew and I (amidst the chaos that’s been our life lately) committed to setting aside at least one night a week as our designated “date night”— and it’s been great! Spending time together without thinking of anything else (work, the dog, family stuff, blah blah blah—) is always enjoyable, but it’s become exceptionally enjoyable since we started hanging out at Fat Lady Brewing— our new favorite spot in our favorite neighborhood, Manayunk.

The scoop on Fat Lady Brewing— Manayunk’s coolest neighborhood hangout

Nestled right along Main Street, Fat Lady Brewing is a multi-story brewery bathed in sunlight from its large, vanity windows and decorated with circus flair— and once you enter in through its doors, the fun has just begun.

From themed nights, trivia matches, board games, table games, live music and other live entertainment being hosted on the regular, Fat Lady Brewing has tons to offer Manayunk residents and visitors even before you take a sip of their delicious, craft beer.

Recently I caught up with the team at Fat Lady (including the owner, Jane), and asked them just how they came up with this awesome spot— and how they keep the fun going week after week:

Q: What inspired you to get into the beer business?

A: It’s kind of a funny answer. I had a tenant in the building, Bald Birds Brewing, and unfortunately they couldn’t survive in the space during Covid. After talking with the owner one day, he said to me maybe that I should try my hand at getting a brewers license since I was very creative and I’d probably do well. So, I thought about it and I did some research on what it takes and it seemed like it could be a fun and wild ride. It took nearly 8 months to get the license, but I really haven’t looked back since.

Q: Once you decided to open a brewery, what drew you to this location?

A: My family bought the building here on Main Street in 1986 and I have loved working in this district ever since that year. It was a natural feeling for me to want to have a taproom in this building and then of course open my own taproom here when it was my time as Fat Lady Brewing. I love Manayunk and I love main street and I love my building, so why not?

Q: I love the circus theme. What inspired that decision?

A: So this is a great question! Back before it was a brewery, I operated a coworking space in the building and part of the mission for the coworking space was a community building space. And I always felt that whatever happened here should be community-based but the little fun piece to the story is that one night while cruising through cable movies, The Greatest Showman came on. It’s a movie I have always really enjoyed. After the movie, I turned to my friends and I said, “I love the circus because everyone’s welcome there. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, what you look like or what gifts you do or don’t have.”  And that’s when I decided that Fat Lady Brewing had to be a circus themed space. I like to say that Fat Lady Brewing is a big tent and there’s room for everybody here!

Q: What inspires your signature brews? Who comes up with them and how?

A: So, I really didn’t brew much except for a little home-brewing with my brother when we were teenagers. Even though I didn’t have a lot of brewing experience, I did know that I wanted to make “good beer”, and that’s a very different thing to a lot of people at first. I was thinking of lagers, pilsners and any easy drinking beers. After learning about the industry a little bit more, I realized there is a huge demand for IPAs and pale ales. So then it became about finding recipes that could work for us. Giant Jim was the first beer that we brewed and canned, and it's a very successful IPA in our taproom. As I am slowly learning this process, I'm also realizing that it’s about looking at the time of year and  making sure that we have a balanced menu of styles of beer at all times. I have a great staff and we love to sit, debate and talk about beer, taste other peoples' beer. That really informs our decision of how we’re going to move forward and what the next style of beer might be.

Q: What can people look forward to at Fat Lady in the months ahead?

A: Oh boy, that’s a great question, too! We’re doing a lot of work to make sure that Fat Lady Brewing is a comfortable and nice place to hang out in. We love hosting events, we love doing tastings, we love music and the performers, but most of all we love for our guests who come in here to have a great time. There are some really amazing changes coming to our second floor. We’re also putting in a new private room for smaller groups to have a tasting or a small party of 25 people. We want guests to have a private and intimate space and I think it’s going to offer a whole new dimension of possibilities for our customers.   In the end, that’s what it's always about for us - our customers whether they're regulars or new to our space. We just want them to know that we want them to have a good time here and they are not only just welcome but they’re always wanted!

As you can see— Fat Lady Brewing is a welcome spot for all members of the Manayunk community (or those just passing through).

If you’re in the area, Fat Lady is a must-try. Cheers!

Xoxo, MM.